Introduction to body core training

Today, almost every bodybuilder already knows that huffing and puffing under heavy weights, working out the main visible muscle groups is not enough for a complex training.

Adding cardio, especially in cutting phase, is something you just can’t avoid. But what about training internal muscles? Yes, I mean those muscles that can’t be seen but are absolutely necessary for normal life.

Wait; aren’t we supposed to talk about core muscles here? You know, abdominals, obliques, lower back…

I’ll explain. Here at musqle.com we decided to take a novel approach and extend the term “core training” beyond its usual meaning. We had good reason to do so, but first, let me explain the differences between main muscle groups.

Mobilizing and stabilizing muscles

This is one possible categorization of muscles. Mobilizing muscles tend to be long. They are the ones enabling lifting weights, walking, jumping and moving in general. As such, mobilizing muscles work only occasionally – most of the time they are “waiting” to be called for action.

Stabilizing muscles are shorter and they work most of the time. Whether you are sitting or standing, some muscles must keep your body in upright position. If something would “switch off” stabilizing muscles (let’s say sudden sleep) you would simply fall down.

Therefore, stabilizing muscles are almost synonymous with postural muscles.

As you can imagine, stabilizing muscles are extremely important in every sport including the bodybuilding. Weak postural muscles can lead to dangerous disproportions, back injuries and joint problems.

Since the differences between mobilizing and stabilizing muscles (in function and structure) are important, the training of those two groups of muscles must be also different.

Postural muscles are to some extent involved in all exercises, but certain exercises mobilize the stabilizing muscles much more than others.

Take, for instance, bench press and standing cable chest press: these are two very similar exercises, at least in terms of large-muscle-groups activation. In chest press, however, postural muscles are almost inactive. In standing cable press, stabilizing muscles do significant amount of work in order to keep the upright posture.

But postural muscles are usually trained by specially designed isometric exercises (isometric exercise is a static exercise without any range of motion).

One typical isometric exercise strengthening many postural muscles is plank (click for details).

As I mentioned earlier, stabilizing muscles are working most of the time. Therefore, their training must be much more frequent than that of mobilizing muscles. Some professional athletes may train their postural muscles every two hours during the day.

This is obviously not practical for 99% of us but the fact is that you can’t really “overtrain” stabilizing muscles.

Deep vs. superficial muscles

We all know superficial muscles: they are the visible muscles like biceps or pectorals we train to impress others.

Deep muscles are not visible but they play equally important function and therefore can’t be ignored even by bodybuilders.

Some muscles, like the psoas major, are partly superficial and partly deep.

Deep muscles can be both mobilizing and stabilizing (I mention this because many people believe all deep muscles are postural).

Training deep muscles is sometimes tricky. Increased size of muscle fibers can push on deep nerves and cause pain, or even limit the motion (typical example is the piriformis muscle irritating the sciatic nerve). Therefore, you must always know exactly what you are doing and how to avoid possible problems.

Core muscles

So now we finally come to core muscles. 

The “core” muscles in this context refer to all muscles around the mid-body: abdominal muscles including the external and internal abdominal oblique, muscular structure of the hips and the muscles around the lower back. Sometimes, the whole muscular structure of the spine is included (and I do agree with this definition).

- abdominals (rectus abdominis, tranversus abdominis, internal and external abdominal obliques) 

- muscular structure of the hips (iliopsoas; rectus femoris; sartorius; tensor fasciae latae; pectineus; gluteus maximus, medius and minimus; semi - tendinosus; semimembranosus; biceps femoris; adductor brevis, longus, and magnus; gemellus superior and inferior; obturator internus and externus; quadratus femoris; piriformis)

- muscular structure of the spine (erector spinae; quadratus lumborum; paraspinals; trapezius; psoas major; quadratus lumborum; multifidus; ilio - castalis lumborum and thoracis; rotatores; latissiums dorsi; and serratus anterior). 

Rotator cuff

Rotator cuff is a rather complicated system that helps to stabilize our shoulders. It consists of four muscles and their tendons:

Supraspinatus muscle

Infraspinatus muscle

Teres minor muscle

Subscapularis muscle

This system is necessary to ensure proper movement of the shoulder joints (glenohumeral sternoclavicular joint) and their stability. The shoulder, unlike other joints, enables a very wide range of motion and therefore requires a more complicated stabilizing system.

Putting it all together

Body core training should help you

1. to gain balanced muscle development
2. strengthen the muscles around spinal cord (thus protecting it) and
3. help you to gain functional strength.

Therefore, limiting the training strictly to area between diaphragm and hips (which is “body core training” in the traditional meaning) doesn’t make much sense.

The training system we are developing is about all postural muscles – you can’t just choose some of them to achieve proper muscular development.

Including the rotator cuff fits perfectly in this philosophy. Rotator cuff muscles and tendons are crucial for any movement of arms and injuries of this system are very common. You can’t go far with strong arms, back and pectorals and weak rotator cuff.